Smallville Season 1
by RoniCullen
Summary: What if Clark Kent had a little adoptive sister, Cynthia Kent? How about how the series would have changed with her? From Cynthia's point of view. Rated K plus because of violence, but nothing you wouldn't see in the Smallville TV show.
1. Pilot

**A/N So each chapter will follow the episodes that share the chapter titles. If you haven't watched the TV Show, then this fanfic isn't for you. I hope to do all ten seasons if i get a lot of viewers and reviewers! I love Smallville and I hope that I'm writing a really good fanfic to please Smallville fans! Anyway, enjoy! **

A man and his son ride in a helicopter. The young son has his eyes squeezed shut, afraid to open them.

"This has got to stop. Open your eyes, Lex." The father, Lionel Luthor, tells his son.

"I can't." Lex whimpers.

"Luthors are not afraid. We don't have that luxury. We're leaders. You have a destiny, Lex. You're never going to get anywhere with your eyes closed." Lionel insists.

A young couple enters the Smallville flower shop. A little girl is playing on the floor while a woman runs the counter.

"Afternoon, Nell." The husband, Jonathan Kent, greets the woman at the counter.

"Jonathan. Martha. What a surprise. What brings the reclusive Kent's to town?" Nell asks.

"Tulips. Red ones, if you have them." Martha answered.

"What about a tiger orchid?" Nell asks.

"No thanks. Martha has her heart set on tulips." Jonathan responds.

"Yes, well, they are a very uncomplicated flower." Nell murmurs. Martha goes over to the little girl.

"That is a beautiful dress, Lana. Are you a princess?" She asks.

"I'm a fairy princess." Young Lana Lang tells her.

"Hey, where are her parents?" Jonathan asks Nell.

"Oh, they're at the homecoming game with everyone else. I'm being the good aunt." Nell tells him.

"Do you want to make a wish?" Lana asks Martha.

"I would love to make a wish." Martha replies.

"Okay, abracadabra." Lana uses her plastic wand to tap Martha's head. Martha smiles at Lana. Then Martha and Jonathan head out to their truck. Martha climbs into the passenger seat while Jonathan puts their purchases in the bed of the truck. He climbs into the driver's seat.

"I know what you wished for…" He told her. She had a faraway look in her eyes.

"I see a little face… It's all I ever wanted." She told him. He leans across the seat to kiss her. Then they hear cheering. A small parade starts on the street and the high school football team rides in cars down it.

"Hey, looks like Smallville won again!" Jonathan says.

"Lex? Son?" Lex in wandering around the cornfield as his father does business with the owner. Lionel turns back to the man.

"Now, where do I sign?" He asks. Lex wanders into the high cornfield as the owner points to the paper.

"Right here, Mr. Luthor..." He replies Lex is walking through the cornstalks when he hears a voice.

"Help me…"

"Huh?" Lex asks. He walks a little farther.

"Help me… please… Hey, kid, help me!" Lex sees a young teenager tied to a cross with a big red S painted onto his bare chest. Just then, he and the other boy are engulfed in a dust cloud thrown up by a meteor that lands nearby. After this first meteorite lands, a volley of meteorites hit the town and the surrounding farmland. Back at the flower shop, Nell is holding Lana outside on the sidewalk.

"What on gods earth…?" Nell asks herself. Just then a couple steps out of their car on the other side of the street.

"Hi, Lana!" The woman calls.

"Mommy, daddy!" Lana calls. Then suddenly a flaming meteor hits their car, engulfing them in the flames and killing them. Nell and Lana fall on the sidewalk, unhurt but shocked.

"What's happening, Jonathan?" Martha cries. Jonathan and Martha are returning home, driving past the Welcome to Smallville sign when it gets hit, they enter a dust cloud and their truck overturns... Lionel Luthor is searching for Lex in the field of now flatten corn stalks.

"Lex! Lex! Where are you? Lex! Lex!" He kneels down and picks up a bit of red hair matches his sons…

"Martha!" Jonathan's voice calls out in the overturned truck. They hear footsteps and both turn their heads. A small, naked boy kneels down in front of the window and peers in. Martha and Jonathan look at him, shocked. They crawl out of the truck and Martha wraps in him a blanket before picking him up and putting him on her hip.

"Martha? Kids just don't fall out of the sky, Martha." Jonathan tells her. She looks over at him.

"Then where did he come from?" She asks.

"I don't know, but he must have parents." They walk a little ways and find what could only be a spaceship that the child came out of.

"Well, if he does, they're definitely not from Kansas." Martha says.

"Sweetheart, we can't keep him. What are we going to tell people - we found him out in a field?" He asks.

"We didn't find him. He found us."

Present day Smallville, Kansas:

"Clark Kent, you're gonna be late for the bus! Cynthia Kent, you better get down here too! Your bus will be here any minute!" My mom, Martha Kent, called upstairs.

"Coming, mom!" My brother called. I heard my brother, Clark, thumping down the stairs and into the kitchen. I hurriedly tied my hair up in a ponytail and ran downstairs after him. Clark was just taking a big swig out of a milk bottle.

"Unh-unh." Mom scolded.

"It tastes better out of the bottle." He said in his own defense. I tried hard to hold back a laugh.

"Where'd you learn your manners?" Mom asked him.

"On a farm." He replies. I couldn't help but laugh at that one. Clark gave me a look that told me he had been trying to make me laugh.

"Well, afternoon, sleepyheads." Dad said, coming into the kitchen from outside. Mom turned around.

"Oh, don't forget - I have class tonight, so you three are on your own, and don't order pizza. There's plenty of food in the fridge." She told us. I grimaced. Pizza was so much better than anything in the fridge…

"Hey, what you got there, son?" Dad asked, seeing something in Clark's head.

"Permission slip... It's for the football team. Couple of spots opened up…. They're having tryouts this afternoon. Come on, dad. You played football in high school." He pleaded with him.

"That was different, son." Dad said. I didn't feel like being in the middle of one of these arguments. I walked over to mom in the living room. She sat down on the couch, motioning for me to sit down next to her.

"Remember not to mention anything your brother can do." She reminded me. I rolled my eyes.

"Mom, I'm ten years old! I know that! You don't have to remind me every single day." I told her. She gave me a hesitant look. I rolled my eyes again and grabbed my backpack before heading for the kitchen again.

"I'm sick of hanging in there. All I want to do is go through high school without being a total loser." Clark said as he walked out the door. I ran out after him, but sat down to wait on the porch steps. Clark was already running to catch his bus, which I knew he would miss. My bus came later than his, so I had a few minutes to spare. I watched as Clark indeed missed his bus and shot off with his super speed into the cornfield to catch up to it. I bit my lip. I always wondered how Clark got his super-speed. I had been swore to secrecy from the second I could talk and it just seemed like a normal part of my life now… My bus pulled up and I ran to get on, forgetting about Clark and everything besides school.

"Isn't it unusual? Clark should be home by now…" Mom was saying as she prepared to go to her class. I looked up from my homework.

"Maybe he just got the guts to talk to Lana… finally." I suggested in a teasing tone of voice.

"Be nice, Cynthia. Maybe-." Mom was interrupted by the ringing phone. Dad went to answer it. He talked for a minute and then ran to get his keys.

"What's the matter?" Mom asked, alarmed.

"Apparently Clark was in an accident on the bridge. I gotta go pick him up." He ran out the door without another word.

The second Clark walked in the door about an hour later, mom threw herself on him in a hug.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She checked him over even as he assured her that he was fine.

"Not a scratch on him, Martha. He's perfectly fine. In fact, he saved Lex Luthor's life… Apparently he dived in after Lex after he drove his car off the bridge and saved him." Dad told her. Clark backed out onto the porch again.

"I'll be in the barn." Mom and dad gave me a look that I took to mean they had something important to talk about that they didn't want me in the room for. I gathered my homework and stuck it into my backpack.

"I'll be in the barn too." I walked out, heading for the barn. The sun had already set, so I walked fast, as if there was some creature of the night waiting for me. I walked over to pat my horse's neck before skipping up the steps to Clark's loft. I was still jealous he got a loft and I didn't… He was looking out his telescope, seemingly deep in thought.

"You know that the stars are up in the sky, not at Lana's house." I said. He jumped and turned around.

"Jeez, Cynthia, don't do that!" He told me. I smiled over at him smugly; it was often I could sneak up on him without him knowing.

"So what are you doing? Watching Lana undress in her bedroom?" I teased. He shot me a look that was full of embarrassment more than warning.

"No… She's on her porch." He mumbled. I nodded.

"Sure… Whatever you need to tell yourself, Clark…" I told him. I laughed and ran down the stairs again.

I headed outside the next morning with Clark to begin our chores and we both stopped short when we saw a brand new red truck parked by the barn. Mom came out of the barn as Clark and I went over to look at it.

"Hey mom… Whose truck?" Clark asked.

"Yours. It's a gift from Lex Luthor." She responded, handing him a card. I felt my mouth drop open.

"'Dear Clark, drive safely. Always in your debt, the maniac in the Porsche.' I don't believe it. Where are the keys?" He asked excitedly.

"Your father has them." Clark's smile disappeared. We all knew he was no fan of the Luthors… Clark went off in search of dad while I headed into the barn to brush out my horse, Strider. Clark went to the back of the barn where dad was messing with a wood chipper. I focused on combing out a tangle in Strider's mane instead of what they were talking about. I heard the wood chipper turn on again.

"CLARK!" That got my attention. I dropped the brush and hurried over to them. Clark's arm was elbow deep in the wood-chipper. I gave a little scream. There was the sound of gears grinding and then Clark pulled his arm out. It was… perfectly fine. His sleeve was ripped to shreds but there was nothing wrong with arm. I ran over and turned his arm over, as if it would look mangled at another angle or something. Despite the fact that I was turning his arm over, Clark didn't even seem to notice I was there.

"I didn't dive in after Lex's car. It hit me at 60 miles an hour. Does that sound normal to you? I'd give anything to be normal."

"It's time, son…." We both looked over at dad.

"Time for what?" Clark asked.

"The truth… I want you to take a look at something. I think it's from your parents, your - your real parents." Dad said.

"Cynthia, I suppose you should hear this too… Clark,your real parents weren't exactly from around...here."

"Where are they from?" He asked. Dad hestited and then pointed up at the sky. I didn't get it. Clark was faster at realizing what was going on than me.

"What are you trying to tell me, Dad - that I'm from another planet? And I suppose you stashed my spaceship in the attic."

"Actually, it's in the storm cellar." Without another word, he led us down into the storm cellar. I had never been down here before; there had never been a big enough storm for us to go anywhere near it. Dad walked over to the middle of the cellar and pulled a sheet over something…. Alien. It was a solid rectangular, polished silver metal block with strange symbols around the edges.

"This is how you came into our world, son. It was the day of the meteor shower." Dad said.

"Wait. This is a joke, right? Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Clark asked. I decided it was best to stay silent; I didn't think I could form proper sentences in my state of shock anyway.

"We wanted to protect you." Dad said.

"Protect me from what? You should have told me!" Without another word, Clark super-sped out of the cellar.

"Clark. Clark!" Dad started calling. But he was already gone…

I sat in my room, door shut, with my head in my hands. Tears ran down my cheeks silently. How could I have not known this? And why didn't I suspected something like this either? I had grown up with him. It seemed… normal. But it wasn't. He was from another planet…

I was silent for the next couple days. People at school actually asked me if I had gone selectively mute. I guess I had… Clark's homecoming dance was that night and mom and dad were talking more to him than to me. Good… I didn't want to be talked to. I didn't want to messed with. Maybe one day the truth would actually seem right. Like I wasn't living in some kind of TV show…

"Mom, dad!" Clark called as he walked into the house. Despite the fact he hadn't called for me, I followed them downstairs.

"You know that kid that was the scarecrow at the high school twelve years ago?" He asked.

"Yeah… Jeremy something… He ended up in a coma, I think." Dad said. I really wasn't following this. I guess you had to have been through high school or read the news to know what Clark was talking about.

"Yep… Well, he came out of the coma and he tried to attack the school. And I used my powers to stop him! Don't worry, no one else saw!" He said. Okay, now I really wasn't following… He launched into this whole story about how he did it and then retreated to his loft. I stood alone by the counter. _Well, Cynthia, welcome to your life with an alien as a brother… _


	2. Metamorphosis

"Clark! We're leaving for the farmers' market in 15 minutes, and you haven't done your chores yet." Mom called. I groaned. If she's going to wake Clark up, the least she can do is not wake me up in the process. I pulled the covers and my pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep.

"Cynthia, you too!" I groaned again. I crawled out of bed and quickly dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. I was still pulling on my boots as I hurried downstairs.

"Do you chores fast and get in the truck." Mom told me. I went to the barn to fill up all the horses' waters before heading back to the truck. We all squeezed into the small cab and drove to the farmers market. I stayed behind by the back of the truck while mom, dad and Clark talked to Whitney Fordman and Lana Lang. Finally Clark came back to get the boxes of food out of the truck. I grimaced when I realized that Whitney was following him.

"Kent, you realize last night was just a joke, right? Hey... I need that necklace back." Whitney said once they were out of earshot of our parents. Clark had told me about the whole 'scarecrow' thing that happened last night. I shot Whitney a look as I climbed to the back of the truck to hand down the boxes to Clark. He ignored me; like I wasn't even there.

"I don't have it."

"Look, it's Lana's favorite, so..." Whitney started.

"So then you better go out to that cornfield and find it." Clark told him. He took two boxes and headed away from the truck. Whitney gave Clark's back a nasty look and grabbed another box.

"You know, I know what you did." I told him. He looked at me as if just realizing I was there.

"Do you now? You know, I thought you were a mute. You don't talk much, do you?" He asked.

"No… That means I hear everything. Stay away from my brother." I told him. He laughed.

"Was that a threat, little Kent? What are you, eight?" He asked me.

"I'm ten. And as for your first question, if you need it to be, then yes, consider it a threat, Fordman!" I told him. He laughed again and headed off. I glared at his back as he walked away.

I was squeezed in between mom and Clark in the truck as we drove home, zoned out and half asleep.

"Oh, my God. Jonathan! Clark!" Mom said. My eyes opened. We saw Whitney's truck in front of us, the hood covered in flames. We all jumped out of the truck. Clark ran to Whitney and pulled his unconscious body out of the truck. Then there was a blinding explosion of flames that made us stumble black.

"Clark! Clark!" Mom and dad shouted. I blinked a couple times to refocus my eyes. Then the three of us ran over to Clark. The back of his shirt was burned, but he was unharmed and so was Whitney, who'd been protected from the blast by Clark himself. I stared at him.

"Well aren't you just the superman today?"

"What happened?" Mom asked. I looked up from my homework, pulling my headphones off my ears.

"There was someone in the rafters that attacked dad." Clark answered for him. Dad seemed perfectly fine as he sat down on one of the barstools beside me.

"I never saw anybody move like that." Dad said with a shake of his head.

"Did you get a look at his face?" Mom asked.

"It came right off the ceiling at me. It was almost as if he –." Dad started.

"Wasn't entirely human? I saw his face. I think it was Greg Arkin." Clark finished for him.

"That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. You and Pete used to hang out with him in grade school." Mom reminded him. I vaguely remembered him. He always kind of creeped me out with his obsession with bugs. I hated bugs myself and never really talked to him much.

"Why would he want to hurt you?" Dad asked Clark.

"I don't know…"

"Are you still friends?" Mom asked.

"I pass him in the halls, but people change." Clark replied.

"I remember his mother used to keep him on a short leash, but I can't believe he'd hurt a fly." Mom mumbled. _Especially since he collects them, _I thought to myself. But I didn't say it out loud.

"Maybe that's because he was too busy collecting them and every other bug he could get his hands on." Clark said. Well, it looked like my brother and I were on the same page…

"Clark, kids just don't leap off the ceiling and attack people." Dad reminded him.

"How do you explain that?" I asked.

"I don't know. Seems kind of out there…" Dad agreed.

"This coming from the man who's been hiding a spaceship in his storm cellar for the last 12 years…" Clark said. I gave him a 'you know it's true' look. He nodded slowly.

"It's not that I don't want to believe you, Clark. It's just - I'm having trouble getting my head around this one."

"Dad, you ever wonder why all these weird things happen in Smallville?"

"Every town has its share of tall tales." Dad told him.

"Except here they're all true. Chloe showed me this wall. It's covered with all these articles she collected about all the weird stuff that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. It's all my fault…" Clark said. Chloe Sullivan, I hadn't seen her in a while but I still remembered her. Short blonde hair, too curious for her own good, but she had a good sense of humor and she and I got along well enough when we were around each other…

"Look, Clark, if you're talking about 50-pound tomatoes and 2-headed calves, then I got a better explanation for you - Luthor corp. I mean, god only knows what that fertilizer plant's been pumping out over the last 12 years." Dad said.

"LuthorCorp didn't kill Lana's parents." Clark reminded him.

"Neither did you, son. You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over."

"Dad, I know. I still feel responsible…"

"What happened to Lana's parents was a terrible tragedy, but no matter how many extraordinary gifts you have, you will never be able to change that."

"Then how do I make this feeling go away?"

"You can't. But that's what makes you human."

"Any plans on how to stop the bug-boy?" I asked the next morning as Clark and I headed downstairs.

"I'm going to talk to Chloe, see if she's seen him. I think he was a reporter for the Torch, you know that newspaper at our school? Then I can track him down and see why he has…" He trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"Bugged out?" I suggested with a smile. Clark laughed a little as we headed into the kitchen together.

"Yeah, that's it."

That night Clark came home and we all threw questions at him.

"What happened?"

"Did you find Greg?"

"What did you do?" Clark threw his backpack onto the counter and sat down. He told us the whole story from captured and cocooned Lana to how Greg was crushed in an abandoned building.

"How come I never get to see the cool stuff?" I complained.

"Maybe one day you'll get to join in on my excellent adventures." Clark joked. I put my chin in my hands. _I hope so…_

**A/N I know that these chapters haven't been exciting since Cynthia hasn't been there for the fight scenes. However, she will get involved soon enough, so just hang in there. **

**~Roni Cullen**


	3. Hothead

"Football: Sport or Abuse… Wow, so did Chloe strike a nerve today?" I as Clark handed me the school newspaper. Lately he's been bringing a copy home for me so I can read it too.

"She's already getting hate mail."

"Awesome…" I said, flipping to the next page in the paper.

"That's what Chloe said. Apparently it's good." He said, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Oh, Clark, you don't get reporting do you?" I asked with a shake of my head. He laughed a little.

"Are you following in Chloe's footsteps?" He asked.

"Hopefully… I like her. She's cool." I told him, smiling. Then dad came in from the barn and Clark turned to him. In under a minute, he had spit out some story about how the football coach wanted him to play and Clark had said yes. _Oh gosh, not another one of these arguments, _I pleaded.

"Uh, wait a minute. What do you mean you had to say yes?" Dad asked.

"Coach Walt sort of didn't give me a choice." Clark replied, head down, eyes staring at his feet.

"Let me guess. Did he give you the "be your own man" speech, right? Well, Walt's been giving that speech for 25 years- same one. Believe me, I know. What you gotta do is go there tomorrow and tell him you can't play."

"Dad, please don't make me do that." Clark pleaded, his head snapping up to meet dad's eyes.

"Son, I'm sorry. We've already had this conversation." Dad told him. _Like a million times_, I thought.

"It's never been a conversation. I can be careful, and you don't trust me!"

"Of course I trust you, Clark, but, uh-."

"But what? I'm old enough to make my own decisions!"

"When you're out on the field, and million things can happen that can affect your judgment. I mean, if you get angry, even for just a second, or you, uh, you try to impress some girl with a fancy move, somebody could get seriously hurt out there. You were meant for much more important things than winning football games."

"I'm sick of being punished because I have these gifts. Most parents would be happy if their son could be star of the football team!" Clark argued.

"Son... I'm happy when you wake up in the morning. I don't need to live vicariously through your achievements."

"Why would you? You got to play."

"I'm not signing a permission slip, Clark."

"You don't have to. I'm playing football, and you can't stop me!" With that, Clark stormed off. I ducked my head, pretending to be studying something that was on one of the Torch's pages.

Clark had his first practice the next day. Dad watched about half of it and came home early, looking disappointed. Clark came home a little while later, already talking about some explosion with the principal's car the second he walked in the door. Mom got on the phone at once.

"Okay, thanks. Bye-bye. Principal Kwan's gonna be in the hospital till over the weekend." Mom reported.

"Is he gonna be all right?" Clark asked.

"He's got some burns and suffered smoke inhalation, but he's gonna be okay." Mom said with a nod.

"Anybody see you, son?" Dad asked.

"Nobody saw me, Dad! I told the paramedics that I wrapped my hands in my jacket when I pulled him out." He said, sounding annoyed.

"Lucky you were there." I noted.

"Well, I kind of missed my ride." Clark admitted.

"Look, I saw you play, all right? Now, you could have easily hurt any one of those boys." Dad said.

"But the point is, I didn't. Look, why are we even having this conversation? He's never gonna believe me. By the way, Coach gave me your old position. You're looking at the starting tailback for this Friday's game." He said, smiling. No one said anything. I would have, but I honestly didn't know what a tailback once and for another thing, I felt that mom and dad should probably speak first.

"Don't everyone congratulate me at once." Clark said sarcastically. He stormed off. Mom and dad gave me that 'we need to talk alone' look. I grabbed my backpack off the counter and headed upstairs. I stopped just around the corner to listen in.

"How did he get to be so stubborn?" Dad asked.

"Gee, I don't know." Mom said, obviously hinting at something.

"Hey, wait a minute-I was not like that when I was his age."

"No, you were the obedient son who always obeyed his father and didn't run away one summer and try out for the Metropolis Sharks." Mom said. _Why don't we ever hear about this? It's like they act like they were never kids!_ I thought.

"Since when did you go and join the other side?" Dad asked.

"Jonathan, Clark hasn't been able to do anything normal his whole life-no playgroups, no little league-all because we were afraid he might hurt somebody. He's a teenager now. Let's give him a shot."

"His gifts come with responsibilities."

"This isn't about his gifts, it's about his judgment. You're telling Clark that you don't believe in him."

"Of course, I believe in him. W-what if he makes a mistake... and somebody suspects the truth? I do not want anyone coming on this farm and taking our son away from us."

"Well, if we don't start trusting him, nobody's gonna have to take him away. He's gonna leave all by himself."

"You guys, it doesn't make sense. Cars don't just spontaneously combust." Chloe was saying as we walked into the Beanery. Normally I wouldn't hang out with Pete, Clark and Chloe, but on occasion, mom and dad are doing something and they make me tag along because they don't trust me at home by myself. One accident with a match and suddenly I'm not trusted anymore…

"The cops said it was faulty wiring." Clark said as we sat down at a table.

"I've already got my headline: "Jockstrap Save Principal From Burning Car." I laughed and Chloe gave me a wink.

"Will you lay off the "jockstraps" thing?" Pete asked.

"I still can't believe Clark's been blinded by the Friday night lights." Chloe said as if Clark wasn't sitting right next to her.

"I joined the football team, not a cult." Clark told her.

"Yeah, next I'm gonna be joining the pompom brigade." Chloe said.

"I hear there's a spot open." Lana said, walking up to our table.

"Lana, what are you doing here?" Clark asked in surprise.

"Taking your order, I hope." She told us.

"W-what is this? Some sort of cheerleading charity, like "be a waitress for a night" sort of thing?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, it is, except for the cheerleading and charity parts, and tips are always appreciated." Lana told her.

"So you're a waitress for real?" Clark asked.

"Even got the perky name tag to prove it." She said, pointing to her chest.

"First day?" Pete asked.

"Ever." Lana said with a nod.

"Where's your necklace?" Clark asked.

"Strict dress code-no jewelry and no open-toes shoes." Lana replied.

"You look very...waitress-like…" Clark told her. _Smooth, big brother, smooth…_ I thought.

"Now, if I could only tell the difference between a half-caf, decaf and a non-fat latte." Lana said.

"In that case, I'll have a regular coffee." Chloe told her.

"Hey, times three." Pete said.

"Four!" I corrected him, pointing to myself. He laughed.

"Yeah, times four. Sorry, Cynthia!" He told me, still laughing. Lana started to walk away from our table.

"Uh, Lana, you forgot this." Clark said, holding up her little notepad. Lana hurried back over.

"Thanks, that's been happening a lot today." She said, blushing.

"First days are always rough. So, you just quit cheerleading?" Clark asked.

"You sound surprised." Lana replied.

"Well, it's not like you broke any state laws or anything, but I am. You always seemed so happy doing it." Clark told her.

"My mom was a cheerleader, so was my aunt. I figured it was time to break the vicious cycle." She told him.

"What did, uh, Whitney say?" Clark asked. Chloe leaned in to whisper to me. No one else noticed.

"For future reference, Cynthia, when talking to your crush, avoid the topic of their current dates." She told me.

"You're his team-mate now. Why don't you ask him?" Lana suggested.

"You know, it's amazing. The same day I make the team you quit the squad. I was just hoping we'd see more of each other." Clark said.

"I have four shifts a week. You can stop by anytime you like." Lana told him. _And so we just found Clark's new hangout… _I exchanged a look that told my thought with Chloe and she smiled at me.

"Lana...table 3 has been waiting for their drinks for 5 minutes. If they go cold, it's coming out of your tips." The head waitress called.

"Right, Sorry." Lana called.

"Don't be sorry, just be faster." The head waitress yelled back. Lana ran off.

"Clark Kent is a football player and Lana Lang is a waitress." Chloe said.

"What's the matter with that?" Pete asked.

"Nothing. I just wanna click my heels and get back to reality." Chloe told him with a smile. The football players sitting at the table next to us suddenly fell silent as another player ran in. Some part of my brain reminded me his name was Trevor, though I had no clue how I knew that.

"Coach needs to see us on the field right now." Trevor said. They all hurried out of the Beanery.

"What's up with your fallen brethren?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know." Pete mumbled. Chloe still looked suspicious. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed her bag.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She hurried after the players.

"Chloe?"

"Heading out to the pep rally?" Mom asked, climbing into Clark's loft. I was sitting on the couch behind Clark as he straightened out his jersey.

"How do I look?" Clark asked.

"As handsome as your father." Mom assured him.

"You don't have to do this, Mom." Clark told her.

"Do what?"

"Play Kent family peacekeeper." He told her. _Well, actually she does, because I am not getting between you and dad, _I thought.

"Well, if the Kent men weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have to." Mom told him.

"So you're taking Dad's side?"

"No, Clark, I'm not. I told him he's being unreasonable."

"Thanks…"

"Well, I'm not saying you're entirely innocent here, either. If you want to make your own decision, you need to be prepared to live with your mistakes."

"You trust me, don't you?" He asked.

"I want to, Clark. So does your dad. Just...give him a chance…"

"The torch got torched." Clark said as he came home that night. We all looked up at him for an explanation.

"The torch office almost burned down. Chloe is sure that Coach Walt tried to kill her because she learned that he helped the players cheat on tests…" He explained.

"Is she okay?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah… But I'm positive that the coach is behind it too! I distracted him and suddenly the fire in the office is gone! It's that weird?" He asked.

"You think he has powers?" Mom asked.

"Maybe…" With that said, Clark slowly walked off to his room.

We went to Clark's big football game the next day. Dad was still upset about it, but he was here all the same. Chloe hurried to sit down next to us as we got settled into the bleachers.

"Chloe!" I greeted her.

"Hi, Mrs. Kent! Hi, Mr. Kent! Hey, Cynthia." She said, sounding a lot less formal when greeting me.

"Smallville's resident cynic have a change of heart?" Mom asked.

"Well, I decided to put my personal politics aside to support my friends." Chloe admitted with a nod.

"Yes, we're trying the same philosophy." Mom said, looking over at dad knowing.

"Where's Clark?" Dad asked.

"I don't know. I was supposed to meet him before the game, but he didn't show. I thought he was with you guys." Chloe said.

"I'll go see if he's with Pete." Dad said, standing up. He hurried off towards the sidelines to look for him. Chloe stood up and went to follow him.

"I think there's something going on with the coach…" Chloe said. She hurried to follow dad. I hurried after her, ignoring my mom's protests and yells about how there was nothing to worry about it. We hurried over to dad as he came off the sidelines.

"Nobody's seen him." He told us.

"I think the coach is lying." Chloe blurted out.

"What's going on here, Chloe? All right, I'll check the locker room you girls go check the school." He told us. Chloe and I hurried back into the school to search for him. We searched the whole school, in every classroom and bathroom, before we agreed he wasn't there.

"Let's head back to the field. Maybe dad found him." I suggested. Chloe nodded, biting her lip. We hurried back out. The football game was already over by the time we got back and it was dark. Dad and Clark were just coming out of the locker rooms.

"Hey, what happened?" Chloe asked.

"Oh…uh, I got held up in the locker rooms. And a conversation between me and coach got a little heated…" Clark said. Chloe gave him a weird look but said nothing else about it.

"Sorry you didn't get to play…" Dad said to Clark as we prepared to leave the now empty field later that night.

"Were you here to make sure I didn't hurt anyone?" He asked.

"I was here to support my son." Dad told him.

"Some of the things I said...were out of line." Clark said, looking down.

"Look, I-I do trust you, Clark. I do. I guess there's always gonna be a part of me that's a little bit afraid. But that's just being a parent."

"Thanks, Dad…"

"Let's head home." Mom suggested, taking my hand and walking back towards the parking lot.

"Um… go ahead. I'm going to stay here for a minute. I'll run home." Clark told us. We all shrugged and headed home.

**A/N Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I do have the whole first season written it out, though, it's just a matter of remembering to update. Thanks to the readers who are hanging in there and waiting! Please Read and Review! ~RoniCullen**


	4. X-ray

"This is incredible. Why would Lex Luthor need to rob a bank?" Mom asked.

"I've seen some strange things in my day, but this definitely takes the cake. Well, almost." Dad added.

"He got away with 100,000 dollars." Mom muttered.

"I know Lex. It wasn't him." Clark protested.

"Clark, I know that he's a friend of yours, but come on. You saw him with your own eyes." Dad reminded him.

"I don't know what I saw." Clark said quietly.

"There must be some kind of reasonable explanation for this. I hope…" Mom said. _Oh come on, like there's any reasonable explanations in Smallville!_ I thought to myself.

"Me too. I hate to think I have an evil twin." We all spun around to see Lex standing in the doorway.

"Lex, we didn't hear you pull up." Mom said.

"May I come in? I promise I'm not packing heat." He said, holding up his hands to show they were empty. Mom opened the door and he stepped in. He looked over at me.

"Ah, you must by Cynthia Kent. I haven't had a chance to meet you properly." He said, sticking out a hand. I shook it.

"Yeah… I mean, I am." I said.

"Lex, how come you're not in jail?" Clark asked.

"Because I was hosting a reception for 200 fertilizer distributors in Metropolis at the time of the robbery." He told us.

"Do the police have any leads?" Dad asked.

"None. That's why I wanted to talk to you, Clark. Your name was on the witness list. Did you actually see this person?"

"Yeah, he looked just like you." Clark told him.

"Except his fingerprints and signature didn't match mine. You sure your eyes weren't playing tricks on you?" Lex asked.

"What's gonna happen now?" Clark asked without answering.

"Hopefully, the money will turn up. In the meantime, the Metropolis tabloids will have a field day, and I'm sure certain people's opinions of me will be cemented in stone." Lex said.

"I gotta get to work." Dad muttered, walking out the door. Lex turned to look at Clark again.

"I'm sorry you got thrown through that window. I promise I'm not a criminal mastermind." Lex told him.

"We know. A criminal mastermind would have worn a mask." I told him. He smiled over at me before walking out again.

"So when you have these flashes, you can see through anything? People, objects?" Mom was asking Clark when I got home from school that day. I wondered what I had missed in the short time I had been at school.

"Sometimes I can see through things, other times it's like an x-ray." He said.

"And there's no warning? This just happens?" Dad asked.

"Well, I get a headache and then it hits me. I mean, the first time, I thought I was hallucinating and then it happened again." Clark explained.

"Clark, I'm sure there's some way to control this." Mom told him.

"You guys, I can see through things. How do you control that?" He asked.

"You got to practice, Clark. Your eyes have muscles just like your legs." Mom reminded him.

"Your mom is right, son. Look, all you have to do is you have to figure out a way to, uh, condition them so that you don't get these random flashes." Dad agreed. Clark nodded slowly.

"Oh, that sounds great. How am I gonna do that?"

"Okay, just a couple more errands and we can head home…" Mom muttered mostly to herself as we walked through Smallville. Suddenly Clark stopped, holding his head. We both turned to him.

"Did it happen again? Let's go home." Mom suggested quickly. Clark just shook his head.

"No, I'm okay. Didn't you need to go to the antique store?" He asked. Mom nodded and we walked inside the shop.

"Hello?" Mom called. Mrs. Greer came out of the back.

"Mrs. Kent. I-I mean Martha. How are you?" She seemed flustered, but mom didn't seem to notice.

"Good. How's business?" Mom asked.

"Couldn't be better. I'm doing so many estate sales in Metropolis, I'm thinking of selling the place." Mrs. Greer answered.

"That would be a shame. I thought you loved the store." Mom said.

"Not really. I never wanted this life, it just kind of happened." She answered.

"Is Tina around? I thought I saw her come in." Clark said suddenly, looking around the store.

"Uh, she's at Lana's. They're inseparable these days."

"Really? I could have sworn that—."

"You must be seeing things." She interrupted quickly, forcing a smile. Clark just shook his head again.

"I need some air. I'm gonna go for a walk…" He muttered. He hurried out of the store. I nudged mom's arm, motioning that I was going with him. I hurried after him, catching up to him at the corner.

"Clark? What's going on with you?" I asked.

"I saw Tina walk into that shop! And you know what else, I saw her skeleton." He told me.

"Um… Can you see through clothes?" I asked, pulling my hoodie tighter around me self-consciously.

"It's not on right now and not even then… I saw her skeleton and it was covered in… green stuff!" He told me.

"Like mold?" I asked, disgusted.

"No… Something else." He said. Then we heard mom screaming. We both ran towards the scream. Mom was lying on the sidewalk. Clark helped her to her feet.

"Mom, are you okay?" She just looked at him as if shocked he was there.

"Clark?"

"The police found the truck. Abandoned out by the Stewart's farm…" Dad said when we were at home.

"Did anybody else see the driver?" Clark asked.

"No…" Dad said.

"I could have sworn it was you, Clark." Mom said.

"I guess I'm not the only one with a vision problem." He said.

"Look, I don't understand. Whoever it was, how did they get your keys?" Dad asked mom.

"I have no idea. I only went into the antique..." Mom trailed off.

"What is it, Mom?" Clark asked.

"Nothing. It's just that Rose Grier was acting very strange. I found 5,000 dollars in cash under a dresser. It had a Smallville Savings and Loan band on it. She said a customer paid her, but-."

"You think it's from the bank robbery?" Clark asked.

"It crossed my mind." Mom agreed.

"So wait a minute. Rose took your keys, turned into Clark, and then tried to run you down?" Dad asked.

"You're right. It's crazy." She agreed.

"I don't think so." Clark muttered.

"What?" Dad asked.

"I saw a flash of Tina Grier's skeleton. It was weird and green. It didn't look human. You know, like the ones you see in anatomy books?"

"That's probably because Tina was born with a soft bone disease. They had that poor girl on all these experimental drugs. Doctors didn't believe she'd live to see first grade." Mom told him.

"She did get better right around her third birthday." Dad added.

"That was right after the meteor shower, wasn't it?" I asked.

"Yeah." Dad told me with a nod.

"Clark, what do you think Tina's doing?" Mom asked.

"I don't know. I saw the same weird skeleton flash just after the robbery, I think. I just wish I could control this." He said.

"What if you try focusing it, you know like a telescope." Mom suggested.

"Just pretend that it's your telescope pointed at Lana Lang's house…" I whispered in his ear. He shot me a look. Dad dug into one of his pants pockets.

"Yeah, you could start with something small. Try to tell me what I have in my hand right now." He said.

"Your pocketknife." Clark said at once.

"You could see through my hand!" Dad said with a smile.

No, you always carry your knife in that pocket."

Clark came in from his loft that night with dust all over his back. Mom started brushing it off.

"What happened, you're filthy?"

"Tina Greer threw me from the loft."

"What?!"

"Well, there's no sign of Tina or Lana or..." Dad said, coming.

"Are you positive you saw her turn back into Tina?" Mom asked Clark.

"I think the meteor shower did something to her bones." Clark said with a nod to answer mom's question.

"So she can change appearance at will?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, and it gives her strength. That's how she threw me out of the loft." He added.

"What should we tell the police?" Mom asked.

"Nothing. Tina can turn into whoever she wants and I'm the only one who can tell the difference."

"How's Tina?" Clark asked the next morning as I came downstairs. _Why do I always miss the awesome things?_ I asked myself.

"She won't be able to hurt anyone else." Mom told him.

"I still don't understand why a girl would do all that." Dad muttered.

"I do. You go through life with a gift you have to keep a secret. When you see everyone around you being normal, you get jealous. You just want to be somebody else." Clark said.

"You really like her, don't you?" Mom asked. I had a feeling she was talking about Lana.

"Cynthia, if you could see anything, what would you do?" Clark asked, turning to me. I raised my eyes to meet his.

"Learn to close my eyes."

**A/N So how do you guys like this story? And don't worry, she will get in on the action and even some fight scenes. However, she is only ten (remember that) so I'm not giving her a lot of action. I want to keep going throughout all ten seasons (please review to encourage me to keep going with that plan!) and since every season goes over a year, she'll be old enough soon to really get in there and get her hands dirty. ~RoniCullen**


	5. Cool

"The distributor gets twelve five…" Mom was muttering at the table.

"The feed bill over six months at five percent." Dad added.

"Plus the mortgage at eight point two. Plus the harvester repairs gives us..." Mom trailed off.

"Fifty four thousand five hundred and one dollars and thirty-eight cents." Clark finished for her. They both turned around to see us by the fridge.

"Hey, uh, Clark, Cynthia, I'm sorry, we didn't mean for you to hear all that…" Dad said.

"You don't have to protect us, you know. Is it that bad?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty bad. We might have to take out a bank loan." Mom admitted.

"Another one? The interest alone would put us up to-."

"Clark, don't…." Mom warned.

"Maybe I can help." Clark suggested.

"You already have. Last season you saved us four part-time hands. Even your sister helps out. You remember that sick calf we had? She nursed him right back up to health by staying in the barn and bottle feeding him. Saved us from bringing a vet out…" Dad told us.

"I'm thinking bigger picture. You know, forget about this whole high-school thing and try out for a pro-sports team. I could make a ton of money in endorsements. Just trying to lighten up the mood…" He said, seeing the looks on our parents faces.

"As much as we'd love to see your face on a cereal box, we'd settle for you getting to school on time."

"Forgot. That's sixty-five thousand, two hundred-"

"Go!" She ordered.

"-and one." He finished before hurrying out the door. I mumbled my goodbyes and hurried after him.

"Your online horoscope suggests that you try not to flaunt your excitement, which I know will be hard since you've been waiting for this date since, like, your first growth spurt." Chloe said as we stood in the living room, watching Clark go through all his clothes, trying to pick out one for his date.

"I'll say this one more time and then I'll print up bumper stickers. This isn't a date." He told her.

"All right, just check out Lana's outfit. If a girl wears something new to hang out with you, you know at least she thinks it's a date." Chloe said.

"I thought you came over for fashion advice." He held up another shirt. She gave him a disgusted look.

"Burn that. What else have you got?" She asked.

"I'll check the laundry basket." He said. He hurried off. Chloe's phone rang and she jumped to answer it.

"Hello?" There was a pause.

"Sean, hi."

"Guess who just called me? Sean." Chloe said as Clark came back.

"Did he apologize for blowing you off?" He asked.

"He said he wasn't feeling well." She said.

"Chloe, I saw him go off with Jenna. I guess she made him feel better..." Clark told her.

"Well, he-he promised it was completely over with her." She stuttered. I looked over at her. _If he does it once… _I thought about saying. I restrained.

"You like him, don't you?" He asked.

"He may be a little intellectually challenged, but he's really hot. Besides, he begged to get together tonight just to talk, so I told him he could bring me a coffee at the Torch." She told him.

"Sounds like a date."

"It's not a date. It's a fact-finding mission to see if he deserves a date..." She corrected him.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt." He told her.

"Don't worry, Clark. I figure if you can take a risk with Lana, I can take a shot too. Uh...blue's a good color on you." Chloe said, standing up.

"Really?" But Chloe was already out the door.

"Come on, honey, we need to go to the LuthorMansion. He invited us to a dinner with a bunch of other people." Mom reminded me. I stood up from the couch and looked down at my jeans and button up black shirt.

"You look fine. Come on." She told me, holding out my jacket for me. I slipped my arms into it and followed her and dad out to the car.

"Welcome. I'm delighted you decided to come…" Lex greeted us as we walked into his house. We all looked around.

"Your house it's very-." Mom started.

"Large?" Lex suggested.

"To put it mildly…" Dad said.

"The word "restraint" doesn't exist in my father's vocabulary." Lex said as he led us into another room. Mom looked around and saw no one else.

"I-I'm sorry, are we early?" She asked.

"I think we should go." Dad muttered.

"Wait, wait, Jonathan, just because no one else came-." She started.

"That is if anyone else was even invited." Dad said.

"Oh, I don't think Lex would-." Mom said.

"Actually, I would. I did. But only because I knew you wouldn't have come otherwise. I know your farm's in trouble, Mr. Kent. Small town…" Lex told us.

"So you thought you would just take advantage of my family's problem." Dad said with a knowing nod.

"No. I thought I could help." Lex told us. Dad looked slightly surprised.

"Well, then, I guess we're here to listen." The lights went off for a second and then turned back on.

"Guess the generator works... Power must have blown... Where were we?" Lex asked my parents.

"I believe you were explaining how you could single-handedly save the family farmer." Dad said.

"Jonathan..." Mom said warningly.

"It's okay, Mrs. Kent. I understand your husband's skepticism. Your farm's drowning in debt. We both know it. All I'm trying to do is offer you a hand but you keep slapping it away." Lex said.

"I learned a long time ago from a man much smarter than myself that you need to solve your own problems." Dad snapped.

"Your father lived in different times, and he had his share of help. It seems government subsidies carried him through a number of lean years." Lex said. Lex slapped some papers onto the table in front of him.

"Where did you get these?" Mom asked.

"It's a matter of public record. I'm making a business offer. I had to do my due diligence." Lex said.

"Why are you so interested in our family, Lex?" Dad asked.

"Your son brought me back from the dead Mr. Kent. When he reached in and pulled me out, he gave me a new life. Your father put his family's future over his own pride. Are you willing to do that?"

"So you would give us the latest farming equipment and technology…" Mom started.

"All in exchange for our independence." Dad finished.

"My influence will be minimal, but existing, yes. It's a partnership." Lex told them.

"We could get a loan." Dad reminded him.

"Or you could allow me help you get to the point where you never need someone like me again."

"I'll admit, it looks generous." Mom said.

"It is." Lex assured her.

"Which begs the question, 'What does Lex Luthor get out of all this'?" Dad said.

"I believe there's profit to be made. I'm not exactly in the charity business…" He told dad.

"Like father, like son." Dad said.

"Take some time to think about it. I'm sure you'll see the benefits outweigh your other options. To the future." Lex suggested. Just then Lana and Whitney came through the doors. Lana was limping and leaning on Whitney.

"Lana!" Mom gasped.

"She's okay." Whitney said.

"Where's Clark?" Mom asked.

"This kid sounds dangerous. I've got the gate down and the alarm on. You're staying here until they find Sean. Sorry about your date." Lex was saying.

"No, and I'm still getting the answering machine at home." Dad said.

"Remind me I don't have to worry." Mom whispered.

"He's Clark, Martha."

"Here you go." Lex handed dad a flashlight.

"Thanks. I'll go check the front gate." Dad said.

"It should be secure." Lex told him.

"I'll check the generator. Where is it?" Mom asked.

"It's on the side of the house, but I can get it." Lex told her.

"Oh, no I've got it. Cynthia, come hold the flashlight for me." Mom suggested. I followed her out and around to the side of the house. She handed me the flashlight and I held it up for her to see the generator by.

"Hello." A voice said behind us. Mom and I both spun around.

"Are you Sean?" Mom asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What do you want?" Mom asked.

"Who, me? I just want to get warm."

"Get away from her, Sean."

"Clark!" Mom and I said together. Clark was walking up behind Sean.

"You okay mom? Cynthia?"

"That's your mom? She's hot!" Sean said.

"Sean, you have to get to a hospital." Clark told him.

"What are they going to do? Put me under an electric blanket? I need heat, Clark - contact! That's the only thing that's going to work for me. Every person's another fix." Sean told him.

"You're not getting into that house and you are not touching my family!" Clark told him.

"Who's gonna stop me? You? Ooh! Brr!" Sean teased. Sean and Clark fought for a minute before Sean ended up straddling Clark. The contact seemed to have taken the heat out of Clark.

"I don't know what it is about you, Clark, but I haven't felt this good in two days. And when I'm done with you, there's your mom, your little sister, you dad...and Lana." Sean said.

"I'll never let you hurt them…" Clark shoved Sean into the pond behind them and it froze off, trapping Sean underneath. Clark ran over to us.

"You guys okay?" He asked. We both nodded.

"Let's get inside."

**A/N By the way, Highlander348, I have considered giving Cynthia meteor powers. I will not reveal and ruin the story by whether she gets them or not. You'll have to wait and see... And thank you so much for you're review! Please keep reading and reviewing! **


	6. Hourglass

"Man, I don't know how I let you talk me into this." Pete complained.

"Every Smallville High Student needs to complete 30 hours of community service. Take a tip from Cynthia; she's just here because she wants to be." Clark reminded him. Pete rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but we could have served our community by life-guarding the girl's swim class at the Y, instead of hanging out with the denture crowd. I would put in more than thirty hours at that swim class with Cynthia's enthusiasm! I mean, what's the attraction here?" Pete asks. As if on que, Lana walks up.

"Hi Clark, Pete, Cynthia…"

"Lana! I didn't know you were volunteering

"Yeah, right…"

"For a couple of weeks now…. Are you guys part of the companion program?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm reading with Cassandra." Clark told her.

"She's an interesting woman… Some of the nurses say she can see the future…"

"It takes three of you to read to me now, does it? Don't just stand there. Come in." The elderly lady told us.

"How'd you know there were three of us?" Clark asked.

"Well, I'm blind, not deaf. I heard your little friend's shoes squeaking all the way down the hall. You I could just hear walking…. The third was hard to pick out. Are you a young shy girl that walks lightly?" She asked.

"Um… I guess." I answered.

"I thought as much…" She muttered.

"Can you really tell the future?" Pete blurted out.

"Way to go Pete. Real subtle…" Clark told him.

"What's your name?" Cassandra asked.

"Pete Ross."

"Mr. Ross, if you want your fortune told, go to the circus. Oh..." She dropped her book and Pete handed it back to her. She touched his hand.

"Oh... It's a long walk home, Mr. Ross. Check your pockets."

"Oh man...I locked my keys in the car. Dude, you're on your own." He ran out of the room.

"Now...what are your names, young man and young girl?"

"Water...please..." Cassandra croaked. Clark poured a glass of water from the pitcher on her bedside table and put it in her hand. She suddenly looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked.

"Someone close to you is going to die... very soon…"

"Is something bothering you, Clark?" Mom asked as I followed Clark into the barn. I'd missed the first part of the conversation, but I did agree that he had been a bit off since Cassandra.

"No, I just think we should start putting safety first. If you haven't noticed, this stuff is pretty dangerous." Clark told them.

"Well, this is a farm. It kind of goes along with the territory. Seriously son, what's going on?" Dad reminded him.

"When I was at the retirement center, I met this old blind lady. I know this sounds crazy, but she can see the future."

"What did she tell you?"

"That someone very close to me will die soon."

"Listen, Clark...you can't let some old...lady... scare you with a half baked prediction. She probably just does it to scare the nurses anyway." Dad told him.

"She told Pete he'd be walking home. Seconds later he realized that he'd locked his keys in his car."

"No one can tell the future."

Clark

"What if she can tell the future?! What if she told me because there's something I can do about it?"

"Then she should have given you a little more information, like a name, a time, and a place." Mom said. Dad looked at him.

"Even if she can predict the future, Clark, there's nothing she can do to control it. Nobody can."

"Clark, maybe you were having some kind of hallucination." Mom tried to assure Clark the next day.

"It wasn't a hallucination. It was a glimpse of the future-my future." He insisted.

"And you saw an endless graveyard?" Dad asked.

"Like I was the last person on earth…" He muttered.

"Look, son...I don't know what you did or didn't see, but come on-you gotta consider the source."

"Your dad's right, Clark... We don't know anything about this woman." Mom reminded him.

"I know she lost her vision in the meteor shower." Clark said.

"Oh, uh, and that makes it so she can predict the future?" Dad asked.

"Is it so crazy? I get hit by a car and I'm fine. I walk through fire and I'm OK. What's next?" He reminded him.

"You can't let this one image-whatever it means-consume your whole life." Mom told him.

"What if it is my destiny? To out live everyone that I love? I don't wanna be alone!"

"Clark...I don't know what your future holds..." Dad said.

"I think this woman has the answers."

"The only person who controls your destiny is you."

"Well right now, I don't feel like I have control of anything…"

"What happens if someone sees us searching Harry's room?" Chloe asked as we walked down the hallway of the center. I was still playing catch up on this whole thing. Old guy in a wheelchair disappears and now there are murders that match the ones he used to down in the forties…

"How about we don't get seen?" Clark suggested.

"Clark, is that you?" Cassandra's voice came as we walked past her door.

"Harry's room is down the hallway. I'll meet you there." Clark said. He walked into Cassandra's room while Chloe and Pete went on. I paused by Cassandra's door out of sight to listen in; no one noticed that I had stopped.

"The other night you left in a hurry. Sit. I... uh...I hoped you'd come back." Cassandra said.

"I'm sorry. You saw that...whatever it was." Clark said.

"I always see them. The question is, how did you?" Cassandra asked.

"I don't know. Wasn't I supposed to?" He asked.

"Nobody ever has."

"Why me?"

"Because, we both know... you're not like other people."

"Sure I am."

"No Clark. I've seen you...before we ever met. More than once, I've touched people, and I've seen such pain and despair and... But then you were there, and the pain was gone. I think that's your destiny, Clark-to help people…. To save them from fear and darkness…"

"How?"

"Well, that's for you to figure out. You can fear the future, or...you can embrace it… The choice is yours.

"Who are they?"

"People who need your help."

"How am I supposed to help them if I don't know who they are?"

"I'm not a radio-I don't pick up continuous transmissions. That's all I have."

"I'll figure it out…"

"Clark...your secret is safe with me."

"You guys have any luck?" Clark asked us as we walked out of the center together.

"No fan mail. Just a bunch of old news clippings from The Smallville Ledger...obituaries, articles." Chloe handed each of the papers she was carrying over to Clark for him to look at.

"The guy's been obsessed with Smallville for 50 years." Clark muttered. He stopped dead when he saw a picture of some girl. We all turned back to look at him.

"Clark, is something wrong?" Chloe asked.

"It's her…" He muttered to himself.

"It's who?" Chloe asked.

"I gotta go…" He ran off.

"Zoey's gonna be OK. But that truck driver could have sworn he hit you. Don't worry-he's not asking any questions." Mom said as she hung up the phone. I was a little less upset about him ditching Chloe, Pete and I so I had to rely on Pete to drive me back home instead of my own brother after learning he saved some girls life from a whack-job trying to kill her.

"Is that kid in jail?" Dad asked.

"No, he's in the hospital overnight for observation." Mom told him.

"Does Zoey know why he wanted to kill her?" Clark asked.

"She's just grateful you happened to come along." Mom told him.

"Is that what you told the police?" Dad asked Clark.

"I figured they wouldn't want to hear I got a vision from an old blind lady." He said with a nod. _Smart move, Clark, _I thought to myself.

"I'm not sure how I feel about Cassandra." Mom said.

"Mom, she's my friend. She told me my destiny was to help people."

"You don't think she knows your secret?" Dad asked. Clark just looked at dad, then looks down guiltily... I took it as a silent 'yes'.

"I don't think you should see her anymore." Dad said. Clark's head snapped up to look at him.

"If I hadn't gone to see her, Zoey would be dead." He reminded dad.

"Your destiny may be to protect people, but ours is to protect you, and that's gotta come first, okay?"

* * *

That next night mom, dad and Clark were all done doing something or another, giving me another chance to stay home alone. A knock sounded after dark and my headed snapped away from the TV. _Someone knocking on the door after dark and I'm home alone… Awesome, _I thought sarcastically. I slowly went over to the door and opened it just enough to look out.

"Can I help you?" I asked the guy standing there.

"Yeah, got a report about a gas leak... You, uh, mind if I come in?" He asked. I gave him a confused look.

"Gas leak? I don't smell gas…"

"Your father called about it earlier. Is... is he around?" He asked. I answered without thinking.

"He'll be back shortly. Everyone's out right now." _Oh you idiot! Why,__** why**__ would you say that, Cynthia? _

"Umm... where's our regular gasman, Curt?" I asked, trying to distract him from the previous subject.

"Vacation."

"Oh, that's right. Um...would you excuse me a minute?" I asked, smiling over at him. I shut the door. I hurried over to the phone. _Clark. Get Clark. _He could be here in like a second; he was my best bet because something was seriously wrong with this dude. I picked up the phone and tried to dial, but it wasn't working. _And he cut the wire. Perfect… _

"Curt isn't your regular gasman, is he Ms. Kent?" I spun around. The man was standing in the open doorway.

"Wha...what do you want…?" I couldn't keep my voice from sounding scared and feeble; something I didn't need help seeming like right now.

"To kill your father..."

"What did my dad ever do to you?" I asked. I was already backing off while he advanced towards me.

"Nothing ...but his father did."

"You're that Harry guy, right?" I asked. He nodded.

"And you want to kill me for revenge?" Another nod.

"Yeah, awesome… Except I'm adopted and I never met my grandfather, so killing me wouldn't really be revenge! In that case, you can go now… And giving me your phone so I call my brother would also be helpful." I told him.

"I think you'll do, though." He told me. My fingers searched the kitchen table right behind me.

"We'll agree to disagree, then…" I found the big bowl on the table and grabbed it. I smashed it upside his head and ran while he collapsed, holding his head. I snatched mom's keys my way out the door. I ran to mom's cars. I was just unlocking the door when I saw the slashed tires. _Dang it!_ I ran into the barn, searching for a hiding place. I was painfully away of the sound of running footsteps behind me. Then I thought of something. _The grain silo… Mom always said it was dangerous… Let's hope she was right._ I ran out the other barn door and headed for the grain silo.

"Oh come on, little girl, this is not a game of hide and seek, enough games!" Harry's voice yelled behind me. I ran into the grain silo and he followed me. I hurried over to the lever on the wall and got ready to pull it. He came in behind me, brandish a very sharp looking knife.

"You think you can escape me in here?" He asked. _Nope… I guess we both are going down…_ I pulled the lever and the grain above was dumped down on us, burying both of us.

* * *

"Cynthia! Cynthia!"

"Come on, Cynthia!"

"Come on, sis, breathe! Breathe!" My eyes fluttered open. Clark, mom and dad were all leaning over me. The all breathed sighs of relief when I opened my eyes. Clark pulled me off the ground into a hug.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I think that I swallowed some dry grain, but..." I trailed off; there was nothing else to say and Clark had such a tight hold on me that I could barely breathe anyway.

"See Clark? No one is going to die." Mom told him.

* * *

"Cassandra was right." Clark said as he came into the kitchen the next day.

"Who died?" Mom asked in shock.

"She did. She predicted her own death…"


	7. Jitters

(**A/N I'm skipping episode seven 'Craving' because there was just no way I saw to put Cynthia into the loop. The storyline focuses on a girl in highschool, where Cynthia doesn't go, going to Lana's party, which Cynthia doesn't go to, and almost eats Pete while she was dating him (I think you get the point). Sorry to anyone who wanted to see that chapter/episode.) **

"What else? Oh, kids, don't use the upstairs bathroom. It's backed up. I have to snake the pipes later…." Mom was saying as she and dad prepared to leave for their anniversary trip.

"Where's the leftover pizza?" Clark asked.

"Fridge, second shelf. You can nuke the chili for dinner. Clark? Cynthia? Some clue you actually heard me." Mom asked.

"The upstairs bathroom is off limits after nuking the chili dinner." Clark told her. I laughed.

"Glad to see your hearing hasn't changed." Mom said.

"Clark! Can I get a hand out here please?" Dad called. Mom grabbed her bag from the floor by the door. She hugged me goodbye.

"Okay, I left the number of our hotel on the nightstand. I think that's everything… Bye, honey."

Clark

"So, this is what you call a small gathering, right?" Chloe asked, walking up to Clark behind me.

"Do you even recognize half these people? Hey, watch the glass!" Clark warned.

"Dude, I think I'm gonna hurl-." Some kid said as Chloe walked off again. Clark used his super-speed to place a bucket on his lap.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes and retreated to my bedroom. I only looked up from my book when I heard fireworks going off. _Oh, Clark, __**you didn't**_! I threw my book down and hurried downstairs.

"Clark, man, how cool is this?" Pete was asking. Everyone else was running out of the house.

"Pete, why didn't you just call the cops? It would have been a lot easier..." Clark said.

"Hey, I can't claim credit. It wasn't my idea." Pete defended himself.

"It was mine. Call it a party gift. I hope you like it." Lex said from the doorway. I sighed in relief. _Good, some adult supervision!_

"It's great, just..."

"Don't worry about the police, it's covered. I know this kind of party can make or break a reputation and I wanted to make sure yours was a hit. I hear you're taking a tour of my plant tomorrow." He said.

"It's a class field trip." Chloe said.

"What'd you do wrong?" Lex asked.

"It's that bad, huh?" Clark asked. Some girl ran down from upstairs and headed for the door.

"Sorry I took so long... Someone overflowed the bathroom." She walked out of the house. I looked at Clark.

"You are officially dead."

"This guy should be in a de-tox center." Chloe said as we sat in the hospital waiting room. Apparently Whitney and Lana had found Earl Jenkins, who was trying to find dad. He had some kind of seizure and here we were.

"He's not on drugs, Chloe." Clark assured her.

"Then why was he shaking like a junkie?"

"Look, Earl worked on the farm for six seasons. I spent 12 hours a day with the guy out in the fields. He even tried to teach me how to play guitar. He said it was a good way to impress women." Clark told her.

"Yeah, we're all a sucker for a guy with a 6-string. How come I've never heard you play?" She asked.

"I kept snapping the guitar strings. I think Earl got sick of replacing them."

"You know, just because you spend a lot of time with someone doesn't mean you know their darkest secrets."

"He was like family."

"Then why did he leave?"

"He took a job at the LuthorCorp plant. It was full-time and the pay was better."

We got home the next morning and Clark used his super-speed to clean up the huge mess in the house. Even I had to admit mom and dad would never know what had happened here… Then we heard clapping. We turned to see mom and dad standing by the stairs.

"Hi. You're home early." Clark noted.

"We called six times last night, spoke with six different people, none of whom knew who you were."

"It was supposed to be an intimate occasion." Clark muttered.

"Clark, Cynthia, where have you been?" Dad asked.

"The hospital." I told them.

"That's it. I'm never leaving home again." Mom said.

"Who got hurt?" Dad asked.

"Nobody. But I found Earl Jenkins hiding in the loft. He was looking for you, dad. He's all messed up." Clark explained.

"What's the matter with Earl?" Dad asked.

"I don't know but he's wanted for murder." Clark said.

"Earl? What did he have to say for himself?"

"I couldn't get close."

"How come, the police?"

"No. Because when I got near him, I got sick. It was weird. I mean, every time I stood next to him, it got worse. It's kind of like..."

"Like what?"

"It's kind of like the way I feel around meteor fragments."

I was pulled out of school early the next day when mom and dad came to pick me up, already talking about Clark and the other students being held hostage in the Luthorcorp plant. Lex allowed the three of us through the closed gates. I was sure that only pissed off the other parents even more.

"All right, what's going on here?" Dad asked.

"There's a lunatic inside demanding to be taken to some place called Level 3. We've managed to evacuate the plant, but he's taken the students hostage..." Lex explained quickly.

"Is anyone hurt?" Mom asked.

"Not yet…"

"What's his name?" Dad demanded.

"Earl Jenkins."

"I know Earl Jenkins. He used to work for us."

"Well, what's he doing in my plant?"

"Well, he claims that LuthorCorp is doing some crop experiments on some secret Level 3 and that's what made him sick. He's convinced that it's the only place he can get a cure." Dad said.

"Then we've got a serious problem, because there is no Level 3."

"Where's Clark?"

"Who's that?" Mom asked Lex as a helicopter landed outside the building a little while later. Lex looked half annoyed and half angry.

"My father."

"Mr. Luthor, we have a hostage situation." A SWAT agent told Mr. Luthor as they walked over to us.

"I was briefed on my way down. Lex! How did you allow this to happen?" Mr. Luthor asked.

"I didn't allow anything!" Lex protested.

"Then how did this man get inside?" Mr. Luthor asked him.

"I think—." Lex started.

"You think? Why don't you know, Lex?"

"Can we focus on what's important? We got innocent kids in there." Dad interrupted them.

"This is Jonathan Kent, his wife Martha and their daughter Cynthia." Lex said, motioning to dad, mom and finally myself.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Kent, but I never forget a face..." Mr. Luthor said with a nod of his head.

"The Kent's son is inside and they know the gunman personally." Lex added.

"What's your assessment of this lunatic?" Mr. Luthor asked dad.

"He's sick, he's desperate, and he blames your plant for his condition." Dad explained shortly.

"This Level 3 nonsense?" Mr. Luthor asked.

"I've assured everyone there is no Level 3. That is the truth, isn't it?" Lex asked his father.

"Of course it is."

"People's lives are at stake, including my son's. What are you going to do about it?" Dad asked.

"I'm going to let SWAT do their job. When he makes a mistake, they'll move in." Mr. Luthor said.

"What about the kids? You need to get on the phone and talk to him!" Mom told Mr. Luthor.

"Mrs. Kent, I understand how you feel. I want everyone to walk out of there alive too, but I do not negotiate with terrorists." Mr. Luthor told her.

"He's not a terrorist! He's sick and he needs help! If you won't talk to him, then Jonathan will!"

"You're not the one he blames." Lex reminded us. Then he turned back to his father.

"Is he, Dad?"

"Gabe, its Luthor." Mr. Luthor said over the radio. There was muffled talking on the other end.

"_Mr. Luthor, I've finally got your attention, haven't I_?" Earl's voice came over the speaker.

"Earl, why don't you come out? We've got a lot to talk about." Mr. Luthor told him.

"_Just tell me what you were using down on Level 3_."

"You're sick Earl. Let everyone go. We'll get you help." There was a kind of thumping and banging sound in the background. I couldn't figure out what had happened on their end.

"_Oh no. See what you made me do? See what you made me... See what you made me do?_"

"Way to go, Dad. I see you haven't lost your touch." Lex muttered.

"_Your methane gas-valve just broke. The whole place is gonna go up_."

"_Luthor, I trusted you. You told me you were trying to help people. Hey, what are you doing?!"_ I heard the muffled yells of Lana in the background.

"_It's all your fault, Luthor…_"

"We got shots fired, one hostage down. Full alert!" A SWAT agent yelled.

"What was that boy thinking?"

"He wasn't. He's a teenager who's been waiting for someone out here to take the initiative. Look, you've got a hostage situation, a potential bomb in there. Somebody's gotta do something." Dad said.

"You're right. I'm going in." Lex said.

"Don't be foolhardy. This is not time for mock-heroics." Mr. Luthor snapped at Lex.

"You said this is my plant. It's my call." Lex reminded him.

"I won't allow it, Lex." Mr. Luthor said, grabbing his arm. Lex jerked it away.

"Don't ever do that again. Tell him Lex Luthor's coming to see him."

"I wouldn't advise that, sir." A SWAT agent said.

"Make the call."

"The kids are coming out!" A SWAT agent called.

"Oh, Jonathan." Mom gasped with relief.

"Come on, sweetheart. They'll come out over here."

"We need to bring down the fire doors. The gas levels are too high. Your son will be sealed inside. I'm sorry sir." A SWAT agent said.

"Do it." Mr. Luthor ordered. Pete came over to us.

"Pete! Where's Clark?" Mom asked.

"He's back inside, Mrs. Kent. I tried to stop him. I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry." He stuttered.

"You have to open the doors." Mom told Mr. Luthor.

"They're safety locked and can't be opened until the gas levels have gone down." He told her.

"My son is still in there." She reminded him.

"So is mine."

* * *

I stayed with Pete and Chloe while we waited for something to happen. After a while, a SWAT agent announced the gas levels were going down. The doors opened and Lex and Clark came out. Mom, dad and I ran to Clark. Mom hugged him for a minute before saying anything.

"I have never been so happy to see you in my life!"


	8. Authors Note

I think I'm going to stop this story. I will post all the chapters/episodes I've already written, but that'll be the end of it. Sorry for anyone who liked this story. I just didn't like how this was turning out. It didn't have the right feel for me. However, I was thinking about doing a different approach for a similar story. I can't promise anything, but if you want to keep a look out on my profile page or whatever for new Smallville fanfictions, go ahead. I really love Smallville and I hope I can keep writing Smallville Fanfiction. I just kind of lost interest in this one. Again, I'm sorry and I will post the rest of what I've written for you guys to read. I wrote up to the first or second episodes of the second season. I'll post them all for you, but that's it. ~RoniCullen 


	9. Rogue

"So, night owl, how was Metropolis?" Mom asked as we came into the barn. Clark turned around.

"Fine."

"Come on. A reception at the Metropolis Museum and it was just 'fine'?" I asked him, making quotation marks with my fingers when I said 'fine'.

"The museum was amazing. It's just..."

"It's just what?" Dad asked.

"Something happened. It could have been worse. I stopped the bus before anyone was hurt." He said.

"Clark, are you all right?" Mom asked, her motherly instincts kicking in to make her instantly worried.

"I'm fine."

"What if somebody had seen you do it?" Dad asked.

"Dad, everyone was still in the museum."

"I think its fine. There's no mention of any witnesses in the paper." Mom reminded dad.

"Look, I better get to school. Come on, Cynthia!" We started to head out of the barn, but dad's voice stopped us.

"Hey, Clark. Look, I am real proud of what you did."

"We both are." Mom added. He nodded and we hurried out of the barn.

I was just walking to the barn when I heard a voice I didn't recognize.

"Kid, I don't know what they've been feeding you, but that was pretty impressive." I ducked into the barn and out of sight behind the tractor without Clark or the other man seeing me.

"Who are you?" Clark asked.

"I am your new best friend, Clark." The man said.

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh, I asked around. That's the beauty of a small town. Everyone's just so eager to help. A far cry from Metropolis..."

"What do you want with me?"

"Your help. You see, Clark, I'm in a battle that I can't afford to lose. Because if I do, the bad guys win. And you have this gift that I need."

"I'll never help you."

"You have a secret you don't want the world to know about. I'm guessing that's why you didn't stick around for the TV cameras last night. You want to keep things that way, you'll do as I say. Drop by that overpriced coffee shop tomorrow afternoon and we'll talk about your future. Nice catch." The man walked off. Clark ran out of the barn towards the house. I got off the floor and hurried after him. Clark had already explained what happened to mom and dad inside the house by the time I got in.

"He just dropped the generator right on top of you?" Dad asked.

"How did he know it wouldn't kill you?" Mom asked.

"He saw me stop the bus last night…"

"Maybe we should call the police." Mom suggested.

"He is the police. I saw his badge, Metropolis P.D. Dad... look I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Clark, you didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Dad told him.

"He told me to meet him at the Beanery tomorrow."

"I don't want you going anywhere near this guy. I'll talk to him and I'll find out what he wants." Dad decided.

"Until then-?"

"Until then, you live your life, you see your friends. And we're not gonna let this change us."

"Morning, guys." Clark muttered as he came into the kitchen. I looked up from my homework I was finishing last minute.

"What time did you get in last night? I didn't hear you." Mom said.

"Uh... late... I was helping Lana at the Torch. I sort of lost track of time…" Clark told her.

"Clark, has um... has Phelan tried to contact you?" Dad asked.

"Dad, don't worry. I think he's out of our lives forever." Clark said. There was a knock on the door and dad opened it. The sheriff and a couple deputies were standing there.

"Ethan, Bob, what's going on?" Dad asked.

"We got a warrant. It's a warrant to search your property, Jonathan." Ethan told him, holding up a piece of paper.

"A warrant? Come on in. What for?" Dad asked. The Deputies was already heading towards the barn.

"We got a tip from the Metropolis P.D." A deputy came back into the house.

"You better come and take a look at this."

"Looks like he was shot in the heart. You want to explain to me what a dead body's doing in your barn, Jonathan?" Ethan asked as the dead body found in our barn was loaded into the ambulance.

"I have no idea. I've never seen that man before."

"Ethan, we found this hidden under the seat in the truck." A deputy said, walking over to us, holding a gun.

"That is not my gun, and I have no idea how it got in my truck." Dad said.

"I'm sorry, Jonathan, but we're gonna have to place you under arrest." Ethan said, starting to handcuff dad.

"Dad..." Clark started.

"It's all right. Call Bill Ross and have him meet me at the jail." Dad told him.

"You're not taking him!" Clark started to step forward.

"Clark. Clark! I need you to stay here and I need you to be strong." Dad told him. They put him in the police car.

"I'll follow in the car." Mom said.

Clark stormed back into the house with me right behind him.

"That's what you get for trying to be a hero, Clark. You're a pretty smart boy, but you forget. I've been doing this a long time." We both turned around as Phelan came into the house.

"Who's that man?" Clark asked.

"Did you really think you could double cross me? Clark, my job is about scenarios. You never enter a crack house with one plan, you go in with ten! That's how you survive! The truth is, kid, you didn't leave me a lot of options!"

"I want my dad out of jail." Clark demanded.

"You complicate my life, I'm gonna complicate yours!" Before I could blink, Clark had run across the room and punched Phelan. He grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him against one of the columns in the kitchen.

"Call them now and tell them what you did!" Clark demanded. I ran over and grabbed Clark's arm.

"Clark, let him go! Clark!" I tried to get him to pay attention, but Clark was completely ignoring me.

"What is it, Clark? You wanna kill me? You think that's the answer to your problems?" Phelan asked.

"I want him out!"

"Clark, let him go! Clark, come on, don't kill him!" I pleaded. Clark's eyes flickered to mine. He let him Phelan go.

"Then we both want something. Only you have a lot more to lose. I don't want anymore surprises. I'm gonna let you think about last night. Stay close, I'll be in touch." Phelan left ago.

Clark and I went to the jail to see dad after that.

"Hi, son, Cynthia... Where's your mother?" He asked, standing up and walking over to the bars of his cell.

"The police are questioning her. I lied to you." Clark admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I did see Phelan again."

"When?"

"Last night. I went with him to Metropolis broke into an apartment, found a safe with confidential files."

"Oh, Clark…"

"I didn't have a choice."

"Well, I'm sure that's what he wanted you to think, Clark, but you always have a choice, son…"

"I was protecting you and mom and Cynthia!"

"You cannot protect your mother and me by lying to us. Come on!"

"Dad, there's more. Phelan came back after you were arrested. I got so angry that I grabbed him. And for a second, I wanted to... I wanted to kill him." _And punched him, _I wanted to remind him. I bit my tongue.

"But you didn't, right?"

"Yeah… but I was close. If Cynthia had talked me out of it, I probably would have, dad…"

"Believe me, son, I know all there is to know about losing your temper. But you can't afford to do it. This is Phelan's game, and he will play your fear and your anger but you cannot let him get to you."

"I don't care. I won't let anybody hurt you or Cynthia or mom!"

"And he knows that. But once you cross that line, there's no going back…"

That night Clark disappeared again. Mom was still at the jail talking to dad so I was home alone. I could only think about what Phelan had Clark doing this time…

"All the charges have been dropped with profuse apologies from the state and Metropolis Police Department." Dad said the next day. Apparently Phelan had tried to get Clark to steal something from the museum and it failed. Everything had been cleared up pretty quickly.

"Then it's finally over." Mom said.

"This time… Unfortunately there's more than one Phelan out there in the world." Dad said.

"What do we do next time?" Clark asked.

"I don't know, son. We're just gonna have to deal with it when the time comes." Dad told him.

"Maybe I should stop using my gifts. That would solve all our problems."

"No it wouldn't, Clark. Your gifts are who you are. You can't live in fear." Mom reminded him.

"Although a little caution wouldn't hurt." Dad added.

"Clark, are you sure nobody saw you last night?" Mom asked.

"I'm positive, Mom."


	10. Hug

**A/N For all those fans that noticed, yes I did skip an episode. I saw no way to fit the little sister in. Sorry.**

"Okay, here we go. Whoa! I thought learning to drive my dad's Volvo was difficult. But at least the car came with windshield wipers." Chloe said as Lana, Clark, Chloe and I rode on our horses through the forest.

"Chloe, you're doing fine for your first time… So, how's Whitney holding up?" Clark asked Lana.

"His dad's still in the hospital, so he's been working shifts at the store." She answered.

"It's tough running a family business." Clark noted.

"I think he secretly wants his dad to sell it. He doesn't want to be saddled with it when he graduates." Lana told us.

"I don't blame him. I don't see myself being a farmer when I grow up." Clark said.

"What do you want to do?" Lana asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. Just as long as it doesn't involve putting on a suit and doing a lot of flying..." He told her.

"Where's my - oh - I dropped my camera." Chloe complained. We all pulled our horses to a stop.

"Chloe, what did you bring that thing for, anyway?" Clark asked.

"I'm not out here doing this butt-bashing thing for fun. These woods are like the Bermuda triangle of Smallville. No, I'm serious, you guys, people come in here, and when they leave they can't remember a thing. There've been dozens of incidences in the past ten years." She said. She sounded more excited than she should have been.

"I'll go get your camera." Lana offered. She turned her horse around and headed back down the path.

"Thank you!" Chloe called after her.

"The stories in these woods go back to the civil war." Clark said.

"No, Clark, what I'm talking about happened like a week ago. Some surveyors from Rickman Industries came screaming out of the woods and they couldn't even remember what happened."

"I'm sure you have a theory about this."

"Kyle Tippet."

"The guy who sells weird sculptures in town?" I asked.

"Yeah, don't you think it's odd he lives out here all alone in the woods?" Chloe asked us.

"Thoreau did." Clark said.

"So did the Unabomber." Chloe reminded him. Suddenly there was a scream from behind us.

"Lana! Stay with the horses." Clark yelled before running off.

* * *

"What do you think happened, son?" Dad asked Clark as we all sat in the kitchen later that day.

"I don't know, but...it just doesn't look like he's trying to hurt her." Clark said.

"Okay, Nell. Thanks. Bye." Mom said into the phone. She hung up the phone and turned back to us.

"How's Lana?" Clark asked.

"She has a mild concussion. Other than that, she's fine."

"And Nell?" Dad asked.

"That's a different story. She wants Clark to go to the police and say that he saw Kyle spook Lana's horse and attack her."

"That's not what I saw." Clark reminded us.

"From Nell's tone, I don't think we've heard the end of this." Mom told us.

"Did Kyle seem at all dangerous to you?" Dad asked.

"He seemed...scared. Chloe mentioned that some surveyors were spooked last week in the woods, and now us. I wonder if there's a connection?" Clark asked.

"Jonathan, you should go talk to Kyle, get this cleared up." Mom told dad. He nodded in agreement.

"Yep."

"No, I'll go." Clark said.

"Clark, I don' think that's a good idea." Dad told him.

"It's not like he can hurt me."

"That is not the point."

"Dad, I understand what it's like to be hidden from the world. Give me a shot." Clark begged.

"All right. Do you know where Kyle lives?"

"I just follow the trail of bad sculptures."

* * *

"They're booking Kyle for assault. All right, what happened, guys?" Dad asked as Clark, Whitney, mom and I sat at the police station.

"I saw Kyle in town. He blew me off, so I came out here to talk." Whitney said.

"So you drove all the way out here in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah... I had a feeling he was going to attack Lana again. Next thing I know, he attacks me with a bat."

"Is that what happened?" Dad asked, turning to Clark.

"I did see Kyle swing at Whitney, but..."

"But what?"

"Kyle says Whitney swung at him first." Clark finished.

"That's crazy. Why would I do that?" Whitney asked.

"I don't know. None of this makes any sense." Clark said.

"Yes it does! First he attacks Lana, then he comes after me. The guy's dangerous and needs to be locked up -."

"Whitney, we've all had a rough night, why don't you just calm down, alright?" Dad suggested.

"You saw it with your own eyes. That freak tried to kill me! Now you're saying it's my fault?"

* * *

"How could you do this without telling me? What happened to "this land is our legacy', Jonathan?" Mom asked. Clark and I inched our way into the kitchen, wondering if this was something we should get into.

"What's going on, guys?" Clark asked.

"Your father sold the farm to Bob Rickman." Mom told us. Both Clark and I stared at dad.

"What? How?" We asked.

"I don't know. One minute I'm telling him he doesn't stand a chance and the next thing I know I've got a signed contract in my hand."

"I called our lawyer. He said he can't do anything until he sees the contract but "the devil made me do it" argument wouldn't hold up in court." Mom said.

"I just don't believe I did this."

"What did Rickman do?" Clark asked.

"Nothing. He made his case, he shook my hand, that was it."

"It can't be that easy." Clark said.

"Well, then, how else do you explain my signature on this contract?" Dad asked, waving the piece of paper in his hand.

"I think I know someone who can help." Clark said.

"No. I will not owe Lex Luthor anything. Thank you."

"Right now you don't have anything to owe." Mom reminded him.

* * *

"I can't believe that each one of these bruises was a bullet..." Mom said the next day as Clark stood shirtless in the kitchen.

"It's weird...I get shot at and the bullets are fired by my best friend." Clark said, referring to Lex.

"What do you think happened to Kyle?" Dad asked.

"I don't know, but I think he's out in the world making a difference now." Clark said as he pulled his shirt back on.

"Hi, I, uh, hope I'm not interrupting." Lana said from the doorway.

"No. Come on in."

"We'll, uh, we'll be outside." Dad said. Mom, dad and I headed out as Lana walked into the house.


End file.
